It's 1612 on a Monday afternoon.
I still love using a 24 hour clock. My Dad taught me how to understand it when I was a whippersnapper and I fell in love with the logic. I think it also helps me with airline departures and arrivals. I've never once had to query an itinerary, yet my poor family will persist: "is that AM or PM?"
1612 on a Monday afternoon is another sober reminder that the first day of my working week should have started and finished. Monday was the day where we would have our meeting to plan the following fortnight - production, invoicing, follow up on quotes etc.
We spent today cleaning out the last of our office furniture and loading up the ute for another trip to the storage unit. One step forward.
Two steps back.
Let's take one step forward.
Positives from the last time I posted:
I am enjoying a competitive but thoroughly enjoyable game of Scrabble with my 16 year old son, who is now home-schooled until mid May. The first few games were like preschool. CAT RAT SAT.....but now 3 letter submissions have given way to 5, 6 and 8 letter triumphs - EVOKE ZEALOT INHABITS. We are learning and laughing our way through the Oxford English Dictionary.
My garden is looking heavenly. I have found approximately 50 offshoots (called "pups") in my
Agave. They've been carefully lifted and replanted around the rest of the property. I'm finding a new joy in cooking from scratch. I have a wonderful recipe for damper using Rosemary. This one is extra special, because the Rosemary growing in my garden is from a certified cutting that was sourced in Gallipoli. It took years to strike but is now a healthy, robust bush that dominates a spot among Osteospermum, patio roses and Grevillea. I normally leave it where it is and occasionally throw it in with a roast lamb. But every Anzac Day, I like to bring a few sprigs inside and allow the scent to permeate my home. I think we are all standing at the top of our driveway at 0555 this year to pay respect. Is anyone else doing something similar?
Easter was a reverent time for us to reflect. The isolation was actually a pleasant sabbatical from the usual commercial-style bonanza we would experience. I hid some Easter eggs in our front garden for the boys and we managed to enjoy a (6 metre separated) catch up with our neighbours. They sat in their driveway and we sat in ours. No food or drink was shared and the conversation was probably a little louder than we wanted. But it was an opportunity to feel normal for an hour. They are the complete opposite of us. Full time wages in major companies that have not acutely suffered during COVID19. They work from home now, but it is almost a welcome relief for them. They normally transit an hour by train to the City. We in comparison, are now unemployed. And struggling to find a solution for that fact, while trying to find humour it it all. We are desperately envious of anyone with a regular wage right now.
Then it hits me. 6% of the Australian workforce is
desperately envious of anyone with a regular wage right now. That figure will rise to 10-16% before this is all over.
Breathe. Stay focused.
Job Seeker is kicking in sometime in May. That keeps the Banks happy. Our creditors have always been paid ahead of us, so we have no-one knocking on doors to chase us for money. Mr Clipped is the most honest, trustworthy person I know. He pays everyone else before he pays us. That's probably bad business advice, but I am so proud of his integrity. He has an amazing work ethic. I am a lucky woman. This man is
honest and
reliable. Yet we are unemployable. Go figure.
Reading the AFF forums is a wonderful way to feel connected to flight. There are so many entertaining contributions from members that allow us to sidestep the current sadness that has descended on our world right now. I'm loving the thread where everyone posts 3 photos of a favourite trip. I'm laughing at the antics of people trying to imagine an airline meal from their own kitchen (me included). AFF is still giving me reason to smile.
The current situation regarding VA's financial position right now is utterly sad. It is a poignant reflection of so many companies, industries and small business that have gone to the wall in the last month. I hurt for everyone at VA. I pack another box away and I hurt for me. No-one is seeing me cry, because I am now very good at hiding it. I don't need my kids to see me cry. What good can come of that? I love that they are ignorant of our situation. They are are a wonderful release from the day's pain. As long as there are 2 minute noodles in the cupboard and they have clean undies - they are cool.
Sadness ebbs and flows. 2020 has been a cough year - to say the least. But it's also giving back. I am 57 years old and still climbing extension ladders with the stamina of a twenty something. I have just found out that
@drron has decided to leave
@mrs.dr.ron to travel to Tasmania so he can assist the team down there to combat things. What a couple!
@mrs.dr.ron I am sending you big hugs right now! Stay safe and send me pm's whenever you want xx
@drron - you are a spectacular example of human beings who care - and I wish you continued good health and contributions to this forum. Stay safe my friend x
I will continue to dream. To plan new holidays and adventures. Without them, I am lost. Dreaming costs nothing. There is nothing to lose, so much to gain.